The Darker Wings
by eternaldragon345
Summary: about ten years after the finding of exile, two childern living in the plains look to the sky. they are Ryu and Yue, two children on the path to ruin. They have little money and have no parents to support them..... what are they going to do....
1. Prolouge

**The Darker Wings/Last Exile**

**Prologue**

"Enemy ships on port and starboard. Cannons loaded with armor piercing shell. Well captain what now?"

"Fire at will!" the captain bellowed.

"Rodger, all cannons fire!" An explosion ruptured the air as the main and rear cannons fired rapid explosive rounds into the opposing ships.

"Three ships reported sunk captain."

"Bring us down."

"Aye." The ship quickly ducked into the clouds below them and out of sight of the remaining ships. The cannons still smoking from the previously fired rounds made the ship even eerier that it appeared to be at first sight. The spike like masts which held the stone Claudia, which enabled these monstrous ships the ability of flight with their magnetic field they radiate. Claudia is also used as currency as well as a flying tool, that is, after the stones had been converted into coins that is. The name of this particular ship is the Cairo and she's never lost a battle ever.

Other ships empowered with this power are Vanships. The second in command on the legendary ship the Silvanna once said, "there will come a time when the power of all Vanship pilots will be needed to restore true freedom to these skies.", she was right. They are small, agile, powerful, but require two people to pilot safely. A pilot and a navigator; the pilot drives the ship and the navigator informs the driver of where he or she is going, turns, paths, and short-cuts. The Vanship used to be a scout, messenger or transport, but then they tested it for combat use and it worked. It allowed for a powerful, quick, combat machine. Now Vanship pilots fight in the military while less experienced pilots deliver and receive messages given to them rated on a scale of one to ten stars depending on the difficulty level, one being the lowest. Ships technology was increased with the discovery and examination of the Exile, a large ship discovered years ago by a group of people, two of which were Vanship pilots, Claus and Lavie who escorted the key to Exile who is actually a little girl named Arvis, or Aru for short. The ships used to follow the old code of chivalry and honor, but with the discovery of Exile came the fall of honor.

Also after the discovery of Exile and the destruction of the guild a new breed of beasts spawned they where known as the Blacks. There are six different types of Blacks to date: Pawn, Knight, Rook, Bishop, King, and Queen, each have their own form and traits. Pawns are like foot soldiers, Knights are their small ships, they greatly resemble a type of hook or claw, the Bishops are their large battleships that resemble the natural battleship, but the King and Queen models have never been seen before so they were never recorded. These monsters refer to humans as Whites and attack them for unknown reasons. Even after more than ten years little is know about these strange beasts and how they survive. Because the Knights can control themselves without a pilot or a navigator, not to mention the fact that they could only be driven by Pawns makes it very hard to capture one. Soon after Exile's discovery, tensions began to grow between the two sides as a mutual agreement couldn't be established.


	2. Chapter 1: white move

**Chapter 1: White Move**

The boy stood up upon hearing a noise. He walked out of the room, trying to locate the noise so he could silence it so he could fall asleep again, but when he walked out he noticed something… his parents weren't in their usual place at the dinner table. He searched throughout his house, but found no one but his sister, still asleep in her bed. He tried not to wake her when he closed the door. He uncovered a note telling them to "live…"

His eyes snapped open in shock. He was sleeping, a dream maybe. He heard the humming of his sister in the other room. His name is Ryu; he's 17 with short red hair and blue eyes. It had been ten years since that day and, his sister, Yue, who was just turning 14, was an ace Vanship navigator and he was a pilot. Yue had long blonde hair and blackish eyes. The two of them made the best team in the eastern plains. The only problem was that their Vanship was very limited because of their lack of money. Their jobs are all 1-3 stars that pay little but give them lasting food. 4 stars hold the big money, but are very challenging. The parts they required weren't much money but they spent most of their money repairing their ship after every mission and giving them with a constant supply of oil. Their Vanship had been left behind by their parent along a record of the Blacks that have been sighted, recorded and showed their weak points and a dark worn picture of two men holding two kids in the pilot and navigator seats of an old Vanship. The girl in the back had long red hair and she looked frightened, holding a plushy, but of what was not know because the picture was too worn to see. The boy in the front looked excited. He had short blondish colored hair and was smiling wildly. The note didn't help much it just said "live long, and avoid darkness." not being sure what that means, Ryu just disregards it, but it's still his only clue none the less. His sister was waking up too when he went out to cook breakfast. After their normal breakfast they set out on a normal day of work. They revved up the Vanship and pump in new oil. Ryu's sister looked as he struggled to keep control of his sleepiness

"Ryu… what's wrong? You've been acting strangely since you woke up… what's on your mind?"

"Oh it's nothing, just a dream." Ryu managed to sputter through his overly tired blankness.He had stayed up late trying to balance out their money for the next week. He must've dozed off in the middle because he didn't remember the final amount they needed. The Blacks where not making their jobs any easier because of their constant "interruptions" in their missions. Ryu couldn't tell what level mission they should take to balance out. Maybe they should just take a four star mission and earn a little extra money. The extra money would do some good, adding to their current savings. They fully charged the Vanship and hoped into the drivers' seat. They immediately took off and headed to the job area. While flying by, Yue used her keen eyes sight to spot a high level and high paying job. She ordered in a 4 star mission to delivering a letter to a commander who was entering a battle against the Black. They quickly boost by and grabbed their mission "Yes! We will eat **_big_** tonight!" the two siblings flew off on their mission to start their normal day.


	3. Chapter 2:the joker

**Chapter 2: The Joker**

The mission was nothing too big, pick up the message, deliver it and return. The catch was that the oil that they used quickly wore away and smelled horrible. The effects where apparent soon after leaving, the smell of the rancid oil corrupted the air around them even though they where flying at Vanship speeds. The first point was a small shack in the outskirts of the neutral zone between the Blacks and Whites. The place was pretty well made sitting on small slabs to keep from flooding in rainy season, which was now in full swing. They landed swiftly, got out, walked to the door and knocked. The sound echoed throughout the cabin, Ryu's sister placed herself by his side so she could see clearly at the door. His sister is the shy type who doesn't talk very much if at all. He is the same way. Talks very little but he talks more than his sister. She seemed to have become even shyer after their parents left. Footsteps could be heard from within the cabin as someone walked towards the door.

"Who is it?" a booming voice sounded through the closed door.

Ryu responded.

"Eastern Vanship delivery service, were here to deliver a message." The door swung open then and a tall wide built man stood in the door way holding a small tube with 4 stars on the front of it.

The man exclaimed.

"Take this to the Hugo, it's a new grade battle ship, she's entering battle in 48 hours so if I where you I wouldn't screw around on your way there." Ryu stared in confusion at the man's rudeness as he shoved the tube into his hands and slammed the door shut. Ryu could here locks clicking on the other side of the door as he went over in his mind about what just happened. He decided to not think too much into it as he and his sister walked back to their ship. They turned the proper cranks, flipped the proper switches and took off.

They flew with great haste as they flew in the directions stated within the tube. Yue knew better than to read the letter itself but she certainly knew about the map inside. A navigator's job is not done even when the destination is properly reached. The Hugo was located in the general area of the allied White nation's home base of Kinto. Ryu wondered why this was a 4 star mission, it seemed so easy. They wouldn't be fighting any Blacks because they where within White territory and it pretty much a straight flight toward the ship. Darkness fell upon them quickly, night showered them and the ship seemed to be getting nowhere. They had to stop several times before they got fully prepared.

They continued their flight without much rest, but Ryu allowed his sister time to sleep by flying in the last general direction that she'd just given him. They managed to make it to the dock that the ship was at but the only problem was that something was missing. After landing Ryu found a worker and asked "hey, sir, where might I find the Hugo?" and the man replied "the Hugo? Oh yes the Hugo, I'm sorry sir you missed it by about twelve hours."

Ryu could do nothing but stare blankly at the man who seemed mildly worried about Ryu's reaction.

"**_What?_**" Yue screamed out of pure confusion. She quickly bolted back and began to wind up the Vanship. Ryu charged to the ship and aided his sister in preparing it for quick takeoff. They managed to exit the dock and bolt in the direction of the ships path. After about an hour of flying the ship was visible in the distance. As they moved ever closer towards it, they saw something strange. Flashes… the ship was flashing, it looked familiar. Yue screamed "five minutes until we exit the neutral zone!" she had to scream to get over the sputtering of the engine. They managed to catch up with the Hugo, and started the message relay suggesting when and where they should land, they threw in that the engine sounded funny and they told them to land in the port side hangar. They landed and walked to the command bridge. As they walked Ryu began to think, he had never seen the inside of a new rank battleship like this one. The walls were decorated with gems. Ryu wished he could manage to swipe even one of the crystal, they would sell for a lot on the market. The ship was lovely and well built. The command bridge looked no worse. The screen was dotted with a strange material that _looked_ expensive. The captain took the message from them and told them that they should leave quickly because they where exiting the neutral zone. Ryu and Yue quickly ran back to their ship and began the procedure for departure. Yue started to turn the ignition but when she did the ship sputtered and the gauges fell to zero.

"Ryu it's not going up like this. Something's wrong." Yue said with a deep sigh. Ryu quickly ran to the communication system and turned it to the bridge.

"Sir, our ship won't take off, we can't leave right now." As Ryu announced this he heard screams coming from the other side.

"Yue…Yue! Start working right away, and don't leave the ship, okay." Yue nodded and Ryu ran off. He started down the hall and the screams became more vibrant. He made it to the bridge, the first thing he saw when he came in was a huge monstrous ship in the main view. He hears the rampant screams of the soldiers and pilots, astonished and afraid by the spectacle. Thought ran through Ryu's mind, why are they so agitated? Why are they panicking? The captain voice boomed over the others.

"What are they doing here? This is within the neutral zone! They shouldn't be here! Not yet!" Ryu stood dumbstruck staring at the huge ship moving towards them…


	4. Chapter 3:Battleships

**Chapter 3: Battleships**

Yue watched as Ryu ran through the door and began to rev up the engine. She began to hear noises, strange noises, a kind of weird humming and sputtering. She got the engine to operate normally but something was still wrong. The humming began to pick up a beat. A sort of music, she tried to ignore it but the sound was resonated by the docking bays large walls. She tried to cover her ears but it still played loud. She decided to get into the ship and try to contact Ryu. She grabbed the comm. device in the ship and turned it on.

"Ryu! Ryu, come in!" but she was answered by static.

"Ryu…" the music then took on words. They where words she didn't understand, but she knew them to be words. She knew she'd seen or heard them somewhere before. As she thought this her eyes made their way to the rear compartment. Her mind was blown when the idea hit her. She forced the drawer open and grabbed the book inside the dashboard. It was the Black reference book. She flipped through the pages and found the one she was looking for. She gasped at the sight before her. The book told about the Black language. That was the noise she heard, the song of Armageddon, The battle cry of the Blacks. She shuttered at the tone of the song. It said in the book that it blocked out all communications. That's why she couldn't contact Ryu, the Blacks may be why the men where screaming. She quickly powered up the ship. The last thing she needed was to get into a fight with Blacks. She heard the sound of footsteps coming form the hall as Ryu came running down it.

"Yue, take off right now! We got Blacks!" Ryu screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran toward the ship. They managed to take off and the engine sounded almost perfect. They blasted out of the dock and off into the distance. Ryu glanced back to look at the ship. This was his first time seeing a Bishop close up. A Bishop, the Black's battleships, monstrous in size, they towered over the allied ships. The arms of the end, small arm like things flowing off the Bishop's side, if you come in contact with those you'll disappear, the current theory is that people touched by the hands will become Blacks, but that's only a theory. Ryu noticed that the Hugo didn't seem to be doing to well. He looked and he saw something strange, a figure standing like a statue on the ship. He seemed strangely drawn to it. As he turned he vaguely heard a voice that he couldn't determine.

"Where are you going?" he couldn't figure out who said it, but before he knew it he had reached the Knight. Its figure looming over them blocked out all light from the sun.

"What are you doing?" the voice again, he still couldn't tell who it was. The statue was of a girl, a small, young, little girl with blonde hair and big eyes. Ryu felt something on his shoulder almost drag him back to reality. He turned around to see his sister climbing over the seat.

"What do you think your doing? Trying to get us killed!" then Ryu quickly turned and flew off. Not to much farther and they where almost immediately swarmed by Knights. Ryu had seen Knights before. They interfered in his and Yue's missions constantly. They where easy to take down but they traveled in large groups and fought with speed. Ryu spun around and pounded a round of bullets into one of the Knights. Smoke spouted from the wound as it fell slowly through the clouds. The repeated this step with several Knights before they made a clearing in their wall of units. The Hugo had been destroyed. Ryu flew off towards the dock when he heard a rattling noise.

"Oh, look at that…" Yue said blankly, "they hit the left wing." Ryu glanced down and sure enough he saw a small bullet hole no bigger than his thumb in the left wing. There was an entry but no visible exit. The bullet must be lodged in the wing and that's the rattling. As they flew home Ryu began to wonder about the statue. It looked vaguely familiar as if he had seen her somewhere before. They flew over the plains and landed home.


	5. Chapter 4: Pieces of the Puzzle

**Chapter 4: Pieces of the Puzzle**

Ryu dreamed about his past again, only this time it was after his parents left. Ryu walked out of his room and saw a girl standing in front of him. This was when he was about six. She turned around and smiled. She looked familiar. She was about 13 years old, with long blonde hair, she also held the plushy in her left hand, even though she was smiling he saw streaks of tears flowing down her face; but the thing that puzzled Ryu the most was her eyes… they looked so cold and lonely.

He was woken up by the sounds of his sister telling him to get up. He ate breakfast and started work on the Vanship. He had almost forgotten that the day before they had competed a high rank mission. The parts he wanted for the ship were there along with proper oil and a new wing. He remembered the bullet in the wing and walked over to the ship. He drilled away at the wing until a hole big enough for the bullet to fall through and got it out. The bullet looked nothing like the ones in the book they had. This one looked strange, it appeared to be designed to stay within the inside of the ship and rip it apart form the inside. He placed the bullet on the table and got the saw. He cut off the current wing, paying close attention so that he didn't ruin any of the gears and such. They could be sold later at the market. After adding the new wing, Ryu decided that he should get more rest. He hadn't slept at all for two days prior to his last slumber. He walked back into the bedroom yawning wide.

Yue was working on adding the new parts onto the Vanship when she saw Ryu walk back into bed. She'd let him sleep this time, because he let her sleep on the last mission and she could. She added the new quantum disruptor bomb to the back of the ship. The thing weighed a ton, how where they supposed to take of with such a load. She removed the bomb and wondered why in the world Ryu would want this if it couldn't get on the ship. She finished on the new additions after about an hours worth of non-stop work. She fell asleep and hoped that the next day would be more productive.

Yue found herself walking down a strange hall. She could hear laughter and talking. It was the hallway in their old house. The room at end of this hallway was her parent's room, they must've come back. She reached the end and opened the door, but no one was there. The talking stopped and the laughter was gone. Alone… she was alone, but just then her brother's hand came to be on her shoulder. She looked him in the eyes and thought; "I'm not alone…not anymore…" she woke up in a daze. She heard noises, Ryu must be awake. How unusual, him waking up before her. She thought about it and decided to keep quiet. She glanced around the corner and saw a man standing in the main room staring at their Vanship. She wasn't sure if she should be in shock or angry at the unexpected guest. He didn't seem to be doing anything wrong. She walked out from the corner.

"Hello sir, who are you?" she said in her nicest voice.

"I go by many names my friends call me C, my subordinates call me captain, but you may call me C." The man looked stern. "And you must be Yue, am I right?" Yue nodded "good now where is your brother?" C looked around the room and settled on Ryu's room as though he had been there before. "I'm sorry C, sir but Ryu is sleeping right now. As a matter of fact I need to wake him up now." Yue ran into Ryu's room to wake him up.

"There's a strange man here. He seems to know this place well. He's looking for you." Ryu forced himself to sit up and try to wake up but he was still tired when he walked out to meet C.

"Hello, I'm sorry; I'm still half asleep…" Ryu managed to sputter.

"I know that feeling…" C responded unexpectedly.

"Okay, so what is it you want?" Ryu said managing to wake up.

"I have a job for you." C said with a huge smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 5: Hide and Seek

**Chapter 5: Hide and Seek**

The mission sounded hard, naturally, it would pay big, so Yue was in but Ryu was unsure. Yue went to prepare the ship for flight while Ryu and C talked.

"Just how dangerous will it be?"

"Very, that's why I need a pilot of your skill."

"I'm not convinced."

"Come on, what do you have to lose?"

"Well there's my life, my pride, my money, my Vanship, and…" the image of his sister flashed through his mind. "No! I can't! I've lost too much already!"

"Can something be truly 'lost'?" hearing this Ryu glanced up to see that C was staring out the window at the sun. "We fear to lose that that is important to us, so we protect it, but we can't protect it forever." Ryu wondered who or what he was protecting.

"Okay, fine I'm in. so what's the mission?" Ryu asked standing up. "Here." C held out a red tube with six stars on it. "SIX!" both Ryu and Yue screamed feverously. "Yes, are you up to it?" C asked with another grin on his face. "Of course were up to it." Ryu said.

"It just caught us off guard that's all" Yue said almost immediately after. He handed Yue the tube and said, "I leave it in your hands now…" then he walked away. Ryu and Yue heard a sputtering noise and they saw a red colored Vanship fly from their house. "Yue, where's the location on the tube?" Ryu asked with a curious face. "It says to give it to the second in command on the Cairo lat.105 long.202… wait… Cairo! That's the ship that has never lost a fight. It's said that anyone who had seen this ship has ever…returned…" Yue looked grim when she said the last words. "The Cairo… never heard of it…" Ryu was actually puzzled out of his mind. Yue let out a loud sigh and took out the note. "Yue! You know you shouldn't read the note." Ryu yelled so that Yue could hear clearly. "But I want to know more about that C guy." She removed the letter and opened it carefully so that it could seem like it was never opened. "Cairo, my return will be delayed by about three days. So L how are you doing quickly ask the pilots giving you this message to take a new message back to me at Kinto. I'll be awaiting your response. Ill give it three days to reach me and then I'm leaving, truly yours C." Yue said reading off the note. "Yue!" Ryu said as she rolled it back up and tucked it away within the tube. "No one will ever know." Yue smiled sweetly trying to convince Ryu to agree with her.

They took off in the direction that the tube mentioned. Within hours they came upon a monstrous cliff face that had no paths through it. They didn't want to risk flying upward in case they were spotted by Blacks. There was no exit, but the directions told them to keep a forward path while "keeping an eye open" whatever that meant. They decided it was hopeless and touched down. They got out and began to wait, just in case this was the meeting place.

"Ryu!" Yue screamed while pointing at a small crack in the base of the cliff. It wasn't big enough to fit a Vanship but he or Yue could get in there easily.

"Yue, stay here with the ship. Call if the target or trouble comes, alright." Yue nodded excitedly as he walked into the encasing darkness with nothing but a flashlight.


	7. Chapter 6: Hasty Retreat

**Chapter 6: Hasty Retreat**

Ryu crawled through the dark fissure, which grew wider as he moved in deeper. He started to get chills, he felt like someone was there and this frightened him. He needed to leave as soon as possible. As he got in deeper he noticed that the chills got worse maybe it was just colder on the other side. He used this theory to try to force the lump in his throat to leave. It seemed like it couldn't get any darker but somehow it did. The darkness only got worse. As he shined his flash light on the wall he noticed writing on it. It was in the Black language so he couldn't read it but he knew what it was and he knew it wasn't a good sign. He decided he should go tell Yue when he heard something that made him shiver. A kind of crying noise broke through the occasional drop of water from the ceiling. Ryu tried to ignore it and walk back but it seemed to get louder and before he knew it he was running. The cry could be heard coming up right behind him, and he began to breathing loudly, gasping for air. The crying started to change into screeching and wailing. Ryu heard another voice and was immediately relieved.

Yue sat in the back seat of the ship staring at the sky. It looked so beautiful today. While she sat she began to worry. It had been a few minutes sense Ryu went into the cave and she hasn't had any contact sense. What if there had been a Black encampment in there? What if she had just sent her brother to certain death? These thoughts ran through her mind quickly and silently. She started to worry even more. The nervousness started to get the better of her and she started to mutter under her breath. She thought she heard Ryu, but all it really was just the wind blowing into the pipes on the ship. Yue remembered she had heard her brother say years ago.

"Mom and dad may have left us, but we still have each other. From this day forth let's promise to protect one another with all our strength." Recalling that memory required very little effort. It was so crisp and close it seemed like time hadn't passed. Why did their parents leave? That's the main question. The one question left unanswered, the one question they wanted answered. She looked up and her eyes started to droop. No, now's not the time to fall asleep. But even as she thought that she slowly drifted off to sleep. She dreamed about her and her brother finding their real parents and living forever in happiness, but when she awoke she knew it was just a dream. She looked overhead again to seem something emerge from the clouds. It was a huge battleship with cannons at ever side. She decided to call Ryu.

"Ryu!" she waited about a minute after her first call and then got worried. "Ryu… Ryu! Ryu, where are you!" she saw him burst from the cave full speed run, panting like crazy and shielding his eyes with his arms. After he broke from the cave he turned around, looked at the cave, and stopped panting, with a look of pure terror on his face.

"Man you look terrible, what was in there?" Yue asked out of pure curiosity. Ryu replied, "Nothing worth mentioning. So it that the target?" Ryu asked as he glanced up at the huge gray ship that formed above them. "Not sure… want to find out?" Ryu, with a swift nod jumped into the ship and took off; glad to be away from the fissure and whatever it was that followed him. When they were far off the ground he looked back at the fissure and saw a huge black figure emerging from the crack in the wall. He couldn't make out what it was but it frightened him all the same. Yue noticed his nervous expression and chuckled childishly.

"What's so funny?"

"You look scared… you where! You where afraid in that cave weren't you?"

"S-shut up! It's not my fault." Yue couldn't hold back the laughter that ruptured throughout her body.

"Hey stop laughing... Yue!" she stopped laughing and looked down. "Um… Ryu…" she said grimly.

"Yeah Yue?" Ryu responded.

"We don't have brakes." Yue said blankly.

"Oh… **WHAT!**" Ryu screamed.


	8. Chapter 7: Flying Blind

**Chapter 7: Flying Blind**

Ryu kept flying straight in fear that he may get into a situation that he wouldn't be able to escape from easily. He thought over the possible number of things he could do to land, preserve most of the ship and keep him and Yue alive. He came to the most logical conclusions considering their surroundings.

"Yue, can you hear me?" Ryu yelled.

"Yeah, what?" Yue asked.

"When we fly over the Cairo, eject your seat and land on it."

"What about you, Ryu?" Yue asked worriedly.

"If you tell them my situation they will do something about it. I'll be fine, don't worry." Ryu said reassuringly, but the look on his face mad Yue uneasy. She waited with her hands on the seat ejector, ready and waiting for Ryu's command. He started to count down and she got ready. She heard Ryu shout the command and launched herself up into the air. There wasn't much of a breeze so Yue could fly straight to the ship. A small parachute came out of the back of the chair. She could control it movements with handles on either side of her. She managed to land in the docking bay and ran to the door. She grabbed the comm. link and called the bridge.

"Help us, please. My bother is still up there. He has no brakes and he will run out of fuel soon." No sooner than she said that a group of men came rushing through the door holding a cushion. A tall woman with bright red hair walked up behind them. She glanced down at Yue and said, "Well go ahead, tell him we have a safety precaution just in case." Yue smiled and set the comm. link on her vest to her brother. "You can land in the docks it should be safe." Ryu was relieved to hear Yue's voice. He began his decent towards the docking bay. He started in but almost immediately his ship skidded on the bay floor. He couldn't control the movements of such an erratic ship. He saw a safety cushion sitting up against the back wall. He turned the ship in the general area of the cushion. Now it was all in luck. He was skidding straight at the cushion when suddenly the wing broke off the ship. This caused the ship to change course. Ryu saw this happen, saw the wall getting closer, a scream that sounded like Yue, a loud bang, and he blacked out.

Yue immediately ran out after the ship collided with the wall. She screamed her brother's name but no one replied. She ran to the ship and looked into the pilot's seat. Ryu sat unconscious, blood dripping down his face and onto the dash board. Yue couldn't tell if he was still alive or not but she was too afraid to check. She placed her hand on his cheek and began to cry. Her tears mixed with the blood and made it a pinkish color. Her crying got worse by the second. The woman walked up to the ship and looked inside.

"Wow. That looks like a nasty head wound." She said calmly. This angered Yue. Didn't she have any compassion? She beckoned to a few of the men standing around and the approached quickly.

"Get this boy to the infirmary now." She said with the same calm attitude she had before. When the men tried to take Ryu away, Yue swung at them in a blind rage. She didn't want them taking Ryu away. The woman came up behind her and picked her up with little effort.

"Come, come, now. They're trying to help your brother, not hurt him." The woman said. "By the way my name is L." Yue was stunned, so this was the L from the message. She carried Yue away from the Vanship remains.

"You're a lucky little girl. Your brother's injuries don't look that bad and the ship is still in one piece. Not many people walk away from a situation like this with their lives, you know." Yue couldn't help but be calmed by this reassurance.

"You can let me down now." Yue said blankly. L then placed her on the ground and said, "don't worry your brother will be fine. Now why are you two out here in the middle of nowhere?" she asked curiously.

"We where supposed to deliver a message to you. I think Ryu had it." L's eyes seemed so kind and warm as she turned her around and said, "This is no time for letters and such. You look like you could use some sleep." L showed Yue the sleeping chambers and allowed her in. the chamber was filled with gold studded items and trinkets. She could hear Ryu's voice in her head now, Yue, quick; grab something, maybe we can sell it later.

"That experience must've been tiring. You can sleep here if you want." She was right. Yue was so tired she could barley see.

"Ok, fine I'll sleep here now but we still have to give you your message." She fell on the bed and was instantly asleep.

Yue woke up and looked over at the clock. It had only been an hour since she fell asleep, but she felt so refreshed. She stood up, yawned and walked out the door she came in though. She walked around for a minute before she found someone. The man wore a battle outfit with blue stripes.

"Excuse me sir, where might the infirmary be?" Yue asked. The man looked down to her and pointed to a hall near her. "Thanks!" she shouted and ran down the hall. She was in the infirmary in no time. She found her brother asleep with a bandage over the wound. She rested her head on him, thanking everyone that he was alive. She drifted to sleep with thoughts of happiness running through her mind.


	9. Chapter 8: Reborn

**Chapter 8: Reborn**

Ryu awoke and looked down to see that his sister had fallen asleep, propped up on his shoulder. He tried to move without waking her but quickly found out that it wasn't possible.

"You had better not move, lest you wake her." a woman walked into the room and gazed at him.

"You're lucky to be alive. By the way my name is L, and your is Ryu, right?"

"How did you know that?"

"Your sister wouldn't stop screaming your name so it was kind of hard not to hear her." to this, Ryu shrugged and leaned back making sure to not move his sister too much.

"Did the ship make it out?"

"It took damage that can be repaired, but it's pretty banged up. I don't think you'll be leaving until it's fixed… unless, that is, if you want to use one of our Vanships home." Ryu didn't want to leave the Vanship behind. It was one of their few clues.

"No! We'll wait!" Ryu screamed and at this sudden outburst, Yue awoke and yawned.

"Who's staying where now?" she said in a sleepy daze.

"We are going to stay here while they repair the ship." He said. "If that's alright with you." He added quickly. She looked at him and said, "Sure you can stay here." She smiled. Ryu couldn't tell if Yue was happy or not, but they couldn't leave either way. Ryu felt oddly connected to this woman. There was a long silence before Yue broke it.

"So how's the damage on the ship?" Yue asked confidently.

"Not too bad but it wont take off at a time like this. You'll need lots of repairs but she'll fly again." L responded with a quaint little smile. Ryu managed to sit up only to be pushed back down by his sister who gave him the usual lecture about how he needed his rest. Ryu got up once she left and began to stretch. He felt a small pain in his lower back but noting else. The crash must not have been that serious. He took a few steps and became very dizzy. He must've been in that bed for a long time for him to be this dizzy. As the world around him stopped spinning he began towards the door. When he went to open it the handle buckled. Yue must've locked him in so he would stay in bed.

He decided to try to pick the lock. He wandered around until he found something like a paper clip. He straightened the piece of metal out and set it in the lock. Almost instantly he was electrocuted. He jumped back letting go of the little piece of metal. "So that's their security system." Ryu whispered to himself. His hand had been numbed by the shock and refused to move. His hand won't be usable for at least thirty minutes. Looks like Yue will have her way, he thought as he walked back to the bed. He sat on the bed and looked out the window. The clouds floated past them as they moved through the night.


	10. Chapter 9: Chaos

**Chapter 9: Chaos**

Yue walked down the halls looking at the people in the rooms she passed. They all looked like bloodthirsty killers or thieves. She wasn't sure she wanted to stay on this ship now. She continued down the hall when suddenly the intercom turned on. "Attention all pilots. Repeat attention all pilots. Enemy ships approaching from starboard side, prepare to engage." Yue gasped at the report. She realized that if the enemy ships shot the starboard bow there was a chance that Ryu would be hit as well. She begins to run to his room remembering that L locked it behind her. Tears flowed from her eyes as her mind contemplated the many fates her brother could face. This made her run even faster.

Ryu heard the announcement as well only he didn't consider the danger of his location. He stayed in his bed fully aware that he couldn't do anything, even if he thought he was in trouble. He knew if something was wrong, Yue would run in and tell him. Almost immediately after he thought this he heard pounding on the door. He heard Yue screaming his name from the other side. "Ryu, Ryu, are you in there?" she sounded worried. He responded "Yes, Yue, I'm here. What is it?"

"The enemy is…"Yue sputtered. "…On the starboard side of the ship and closing, right." Ryu finished Yue sentence, as he began to walk towards the door. He reached out to open the door, but soon realized it was still locked.

"Come on Yue, unlock the door." Ryu said calmly. Yue was silent for a moment than said, "I'm sorry Ryu, but I don't have the keys." Ryu quickly was thrown into a sea of fear. He couldn't escape… his thoughts were interrupted by Yue's words. "I'll be right back; I just need to get the keys from L." Ryu heard the sounds of her foot steps moving away. "No, no, don't leave me alone…" Ryu quickly found himself muttering. Within moments he was enshrouded with darkness. He could hear the nightmarish battle song, stood up and ran towards the door. He pounded on the door screaming, "Don't leave me alone, please! I don't want to die! Please!" but he was answered by silence. He pounded on the door until his hands began to bleed. Blood dripped down the door as Ryu collapsed and tears flowed from his eyes as he waited for a response. His spirits lifted when he heard someone coming but they ran past. Just then he heard screaming and loud crashing noises. Just then Ryu heard clicking noises from the other side of the door. He backed away quickly, remembering what the noise symbolized. The door bust open and a swarm of Pawns stood in the door staring Ryu down.

Yue ran down the hall and into the command bridge. She was immediately bombarded with news. She couldn't make out most of what the crewman where saying, something about a breach and minor damage, nothing that really concerned her. She scouted through the crowd and spotted L. she quickly dashed over and looked up at her. "Hey L, can I have the keys to Ryu room?" L looked down at Yue with a grim face.

"Yue, I'm sorry. Your brother's medical wing has been invaded. We are attempting to recapture it now, but the chances that he's still alive are slim." This threw Yue into shock and she collapsed. She felt L's hand on her shoulder and she threw it off.

"It's a lie… Brother can't be gone. He promised he wouldn't leave, like they did…" Yue said with a saddened face.

"Who are they?" L asked looking very concerned.

"They where supposed to stay, like everyone else…"

"Yue you're not making any sense."

"Our parents… they abandoned us." L looked both shocked and sad. At the same time L looked uneasy. Just then a loud crashing sound ruptured metal around them. "What was that!" L screamed loudly.

"An armor piercing round was fired. It hit."

"I can clearly hear that soldier but where and how bad?"

"Port side, horrible damage, if we take another round like that, we won't survive." L looked worried. She placed her hand over her forehead and muttered, "That's great timing. We had to be attacked while C is away." She sighed heavily and went on giving orders. Yue started back to her brother's room praying that he was alright. She made it to his wing undetected but she stopped when she heard voices around a corner. "Take the boy to the main ship. His skills could prove useful to the king." Yue glanced around the corner to see Ryu being carried off, unconscious, by a Pawn talking into a comm. system. Yue quickly ran up to the man shaped enemy and jabs her fingers into an opening in the bone structure. The Pawn let out a yelp of pain and fell to the ground. The book informed her of non-lethal ways to take Pawns down. Pressure points where a big weakness. She lifted up Ryu body and began to haul him back to the bridge. She heard noises behind her and began to run. As she rounded a corner soldiers pointed their rifles at them. One of whom was the man who directed her to the bridge. Yue pointed down the path she had just come from and in the path of the enemies pursuing them and walked on quickly. The man nodded as she moved past. As she kept running she heard gunfire and then silence. She continued to run until she reached the bridge. Ryu was beginning to wake up once they got there.

Yue set him down on one of the chairs in the corner of the room and then sat down herself. She had a sudden feeling of fear while she watched the crew dashing about the bridge, looking for something to do. She couldn't help but think about how she had almost lost another person who was close to her. She heard noises next to her and looked over to see Ryu waking up. She dove onto him and began crying. Ryu, having no clue what was going on, wrapped his arms around her in a reassurance. Her crying continued but she looked up at him. He noticed that she was soaked with sweat and tears. He remembered seeing the Pawns but after that it was a blur. After he gained full conciseness and stood up, gently pushing Yue away from him. She was sleeping very soundly as he moved her. He suddenly became aware of noise surrounding him. Screams and shouts could be heard more than clearly but he couldn't make them out. He heard L booming voice over the rest and sighed. She could really be loud when she wanted to be… Ryu noticed the hunger he was suddenly overcome with. He began to walk to the galley when he remembered that the galley had been captured by the enemy. Why did they have to take the galley now, while he was _this_ hungry. His stomach doubled over as the hunger got worse. The world around him began to darken and he realized that the nausea he felt must be worse than he thought. He struggled to balance himself on the wall but it was no use. He couldn't hold his body up and he collapsed. Upon his impact with the ground, he saw Yue rushing towards him. She was saying something but he couldn't hear what.


	11. Chapter 10: Domination

**Chapter 10: Domination**

Ryu could see blurred images as he lay on the ground. People flashing past him, dark figures looming over him, he couldn't see much more. As he lay on the ground he began to think, why am I like this? What's wrong with me? Even as he thought this the figures became darker. He began to hear humming. He saw an even darker figure walking towards him. He tried to back away but he couldn't move. The figure moved over him and kneeled down. It moved its hand over him but he threw his arms at the figures hands and knocked them away. The blur moved closer towards him but he kept batting it away. The next time he swung the figure caught his hand and moved in. the darkness moved in over him, but instead of pain he felt relieved, almost happy. The figures around him began to clear. He made out Yue's face first; it was blood red with tears pouring down her cheeks. Her voice was so ragged when she spoke that Ryu almost didn't recognize her.

"Now that was close… a little longer and you would've died…." Ryu turned around to find the source of the voice. He heard Yue's voice, "I told you that injury was serious." As he moved around he saw a familiar face. "C!" Ryu shouted, truly happy to see the man again. To tell the truth he wasn't sure why he was so happy but he was now and that's all that matters. C stood up and walked over to L. He took her hand and led her outside. Ryu decided he wanted to follow so maybe he could figure what had just happened to him… he felt so different. He followed the two out to the edge of the ship looking over the sides. "So how was your trip C. I think you needed a break", she said. She quickly spun around revealing that she had unbraided her hair. She looked very pretty, but Ryu kept all his attention to the conversation. C began talking again, "You know it's only a matter of time…" L's face suddenly became very dark. "I know that perfectly well, but I wonder what they'll think of us afterwards." L looked at C, her previous beauty blocked by a dark face, but that quickly changed. "I think we should tell them the truth. I will be even more confusing for them and we need them for the war." Ryu was shocked. War… their was no _war…_ was there? He began to slowly back up and ran out the door. He didn't want Yue and him getting involved in a war. He quickly ran up to Yue and grabbed her hand. "Yue, we need to leave now." Yue looked confused. She quickly looked around and glared at him.

"And how do you presume we do that. Our Vanship is still broken, genius."

"We'll take one of their ships, I don't care but we have to leave now." Yue looked confused and worried but she seemed to understand his urgency. They ran down the hall and rounded corners quickly. They where almost to the docking bay when they ran into a group of soldiers.

"Hey, who are you!" they shouted. Yue immediately ran up to one and punched him in the stomach and then an uppercut to the chin. The soldier collapsed in pain and the others stared at Yue as if wondering to attack her or not. She noticed their hesitation and rushed them. She punched one immediately in the jaw, another in the kneecaps, causing a loud crack to rupture the air in the room. Yue turned to see the last guard bringing his arm back for his punch. It hit her right across the face. She stood looking down for a moment then threw her head up and said, "didn't anyone tell you never hit a lady…" she wiped the small amount of blood off her face, and almost in a flash, was up to the man punching him repeatedly in the stomach. The man's eyes seemed to darken with ever hit. She then finished him with a strong blow to the jaw. The man collapsed, with a large number of rib bones either fractured or broken and a possibly fractured jaw. Ryu stood at the bend in the corner, trying to figure out when Yue had gotten so strong. Yue took the keys off the guard beckoned for Ryu to move towards her. As he did this, the floor began to creak. He walked over to her and looked in the same direction as her. A large beast was looming over the corpse of a dead Black. It seemed to be eating it. This sight made Ryu's stomach lurch. He almost vomited but managed to stop it in his throat. The beast began to sniff at the air and when it turned its head, Ryu noticed the monster had no eyes. It must rely on sound and smell. The beast had reddish skin that looked metallic, almost like armor. He didn't think it would be wise to hit it. It was like a cross between a knight and a dragon from medieval times. Ryu slowly bent over and grabbed a small bolt sitting on the ground. He threw it across the bay and the beast followed the noise it made.

"The second we start up the engines, it'll here us" Yue whispered almost sarcastically. Ryu stood still for a moment thinking of possible plans. He picked up a screwdriver off a nearby workstation and threw it in the direction of the open doors. The clanging noise made the beast almost fly forward, roaring loudly. The screwdriver stopped moving as did the beast. Then Ryu, with Yue's help, grabbed a very large hammer of the work table and moved quietly towards the beast. They lifted the hammer together and struck the beast in the back of the head. The monster yelped with pain and collapsed. Yue and Ryu stared at the monster that they just managed to take out, but what was it?


	12. Chapter 11: Aftermath

**Chapter 11: Aftermath**

With at least fifty percent of their overall fleet destroyed the Blacks made a hasty retreat. The darkness that had shrouded them earlier vanished with the passing of time. The beast's body was discovered and examined. The monsters were to be called Grays. They seemed to be a hybrid between a Black and a White, mixed with some genetic mutation, and it manifested into this. It's a flesh rendering monster. Its weak points are in the back of the throat, the back of the head and the heart, all the rest is plated with a type of natural armor, its murder to remove the armor even with highly powerful tools. They had power, intelligence, but they lack the proper body to suit them. With no eyes, they can't really fight as well as normal, unless they get your scent. They haven't been given unit names yet. Yue and Ryu's attempt to escape failed, because of their encounter with the Gray. Ryu had to listen to Yue complain about how if that beast hadn't shown up they would've escaped. The Gray had destroyed a majority of the Vanships in the dock. They couldn't leave very easily now. Yue and Ryu sighed deeply as they looked at the hunk of metal that was their Vanship. Thankfully the Gray hadn't decided to make the damage worse. They walked up to the bridge and sat down in two of the empty chairs. They wonder what they had just done. Did they kill it of did they just knock it out. While they pondered this, along with other questions left unanswered, L and C walked into the room and emptied it out.

"Ok, now you two, tell me what happened." C said eagerly, his eyes flashing. Yue explained what had happened while Ryu kept up his current train of thought. If the beast only relied on sound it would've fallen through the hangar doors. How did it know to stop? As he came to the conclusion that he shouldn't think too deeply into it. Once the questioning was over Ryu decided he needed some sleep and walked off to bed. Yue didn't follow. She'd had enough sleep for one day. She wandered around getting a feel for the ship, she had a feeling they would be here a while… Ryu crawled into his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wonder what C and L had meant when they said, I wonder what they'll think of us after. He listened to the rhythmic hum of the engine and drifted to sleep.

Yue stared wandered into various rooms trying to memorize the ships layout, it seemed pretty simple. She found all the basic living areas and some good hiding spots if she wanted to be alone. She wandered around and found herself in the hangar looking at the Vanship. It was so damaged; it would take a lot of fixing to build it back up enough so they could leave. Yue continued to stare at the hunk of metal when se felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see L hovering over her.

"It looks like it was a good ship at one time…" she said looking upon the ship. Yue was infuriated but for some reason, when she looked into L's eyes she was calmed. She stared back to the ship and nodded. L looked down at her and smiled. Yue gazed at her, amazed at how kind she looked. C entered the room and pulled L away. Yue stayed and began work on the ship. She replaced the broken wing pieces and implanted a new engine attachment. She soon became tired and decided to leave and sleep. She was walking down the hall towards the sleeping chambers when she couldn't help but hear a conversation on the other side of a door.

"Yes, soon we will gather A and her belongings so that we may protect her from this new threat." Yue knew that voice. It was L's voice.

"We mustn't allow those…those…things get to her." Yue decided she should stop listening and go to sleep. She continued to walk and soon found herself at a door which she hadn't seen before. It was a large gold door with writing upon it. It was in the dead language of the guild. She tried to push the door open but it wouldn't budge. She gave up soon and kept on down the hall to the sleeping chambers.


	13. Chapter 12: Guidance

**Chapter 12: Guidance**

Ryu woke up to the sound of his chambers doors opening. When he rolled over he saw Yue getting into the bed across from his. They had their own sleeping chambers with no other people in it. She soon sat up and looked back at him. She looked exceptionally tired, collapsed and fell asleep. Ryu got up and quietly made his way across the room, trying not to wake Yue. He made it outside without awaking his sister and began to walk. He soon came to a large white door. It had the old guild language. He was glad he took lessons in deciphering this. As he read he became more and more shocked. It spoke of Exile and its discovery and at the end it said, "those who seek this truth, must fist find the lie." He tried to open the door but it seemed to be locked. He gave up quickly and walked along. He soon reached the hangar and with only a quick glance he could tell Yue had fixed up their ship. H could tell her handy work over others. Hers was really high class for using such lowly materials. He looked it over and got the courage to look in his cockpit. It was stained with his blood still. He was forced to look away when he saw this. His stomach lurched at the memory of his crash; he would always check the brakes carefully. He got a wet washcloth and forced himself to clean up the bloody mess, so that Yue wouldn't have to. When he was done he cleaned the washcloth off and continued to clean off the highly messy ship. When he was done with that the ship looked almost completely fixed even though Ryu knew they had a long way to go.

Yue awoke. She glanced around as her eyesight cleared. She noticed that the room was different. Ryu wasn't there. She slid out of bed, rubbed her eyes and looked in the mirror. She looked like death… she quickly cleaned herself up and began her daily patrol around the ship. She soon ran into Ryu cleaning the ship up and looking at it over and over. She decided to leave him to his work and pretend she hadn't just seen him working. As she walked around she found things that she didn't notice before. She found a second hangar full of Vanships her and Ryu could steal if they wanted to leave. She found a galley almost right next to their sleeping chambers. She eventually came upon the large black door again. It seemed to almost drag her towards it. She walked over and placed her hand upon the stone doors. This time though, they slid slowly open. She ventured in out of shear curiosity. She wandered around until she noticed that she was in a hallway far to long to actually be part of the Cairo, she must be imagining it. As she looked around she noticed a small slab with flower placed on top of it. She decided now would be a good time to go back. She walked for about an hour before she noticed that it hadn't taken her that long to get there. Something was wrong.

Ryu started his walk back to the sleeping chambers. If he knew Yue she would be up already. As he walked he saw a big set of black doors that resembled the white ones he'd seen before found. He noticed it was open and decided to peek inside. He looked in quickly and saw Yue lying on the ground. He shouted her name but there was no response. He rushed in and picked her up. He quickly ran to the sleeping chambers, placed her in bed, and called L for help. L arrived and they got Yue to the hospital wing. She had suffered extreme mental stress but she would be alright. L informed Ryu to never go past the doors and sent him on his way. Ryu entered the hangar and began work on the Vanship. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. On his was back to the sleeping chambers Ryu found another door. This one said, "darkness shall reveal the light." Ryu wondered what this meant. He was curious, which was not a common trait for him. As he began to open the door, a scream could be heard down the hall. Ryu glanced over to see Yue running towards him screaming delusions of endless hallways and flowers. Ryu ignored her and walked through the door. The door quickly slammed behind him. Someone must've shut it behind him. He started down a short looking hall way but he noticed that when he walked he barley went anywhere. It was like his feet where being suspended in the air. He understood the writing now. It was a riddle. He must have to try to make it brighter. Ryu flipped the switch on his lighter…and was immediately thrown back towards the large doors which swung open upon his approach and slammed shut upon his exit. His vision began to blur. The last thing Ryu saw before he blacked out was L whispering in his ear, "I told you so."

Yue awoke and sat up. She looked around the room and saw nothing. Her vision must still be hazy. She heard a voice. It was L.

"You blacked out after you walked through the black door. You're lucky you know. The doors usually kill whoever walks into them and fails the riddle."

Yue responded, "I'm really good at riddles. I beat Ryu almost every week in one way or another." Yue's vision cleared and she saw the smile on L's face. She looked so happy. Yue stood up and began to walk off when L jumped in her way.

"You shouldn't be getting out of bed yet. You're not well." Yue continued walking and replied.

"I have to find Ryu. He must be worried sick." And she dashed off. After wandering in search of her brother she soon spotted him and he began to walk away. She followed him slowly and he soon reached a pair of large golden doors. She stopped in her tracks as he began to open the door. She bolted forward in an attempt to stop this tragedy. She watched as he looked at her, looked down and walked into the door, which then slammed shut behind him. She ran over to the door and began screaming out calls for help as she pounded on the door. L came running in and saw Yue's distress. She went over and asked what had happened, and was shocked to hear about what happened.

"If and when that boy gets out alive…" her face soon became one of extreme anger. Not to much later the doors swung open and Ryu flew out and slammed against the wall. Yue started to run to him but in an instant L was over him. She whispered something and stood up. Ryu was unconscious.


	14. Chapter 13: Lure

**Chapter 13: Lure**

Ryu awoke and remembered everything that had happened before he got knocked out. He glanced around the room and he saw a familiar face, but at the same time she wasn't familiar. She sat in the chair staring at a picture she was holding, tears dripping off her face. She quickly noticed Ryu and hid the picture. She wiped the tears from her face and smiled.

"My name is A. What's yours?" She said. Her voice was so soothing Ryu almost fell back asleep.

"My n-name is Ryu." He managed to sputter. She looked like she was older than him. Thirteen years at the most.

"Hello, Ryu." She said with a huge smile. Ryu heart almost exploded. He didn't know what to say anymore. He found himself stuttering to say something. She stood up and walked over to him.

"Do you have a fever?" she asked and placed her hand on his forehead. Ryu was stunned. She removed her hand and placed it on her forehead.

"You don't feel warm. Maybe you should rest for a little longer." She quickly turned around and walked from the room.

"You and A seems to be getting along nicely…" Ryu turned around to see L sitting in the corner. He hadn't seen her there. She had a massive smile on her face. He knew she knew how he felt.

"A is an extremely naive girl. She will never _guess_ your feelings. You have to tell her yourself." L took a sip from a tea cup, which Ryu had also missed.

"When did she get here?" Ryu asked. "Last night while you where sleeping." L responded, taking another sip from her cup. "She's a very kind girl and ran up here after hearing about you little…accident." Ryu had never been so happy that he had crashed. "Now… you had better get more sleep." She said as she stood up. "Now, sleep." She said as she walked out the door. He tried to sleep but his mind kept slipping off to A. he wondered where was she from? What was her real name? And why was she crying? Eventually he managed to drift into another sleep; the last image he remembered was her smile.

Yue hadn't fallen asleep since her brother was hurt. She was too worried. He had been knocked out for three days. It was like he wouldn't wake up. She promised herself that she would never be weak again. She sat in her bed staring at the wall. Sleep was finally taking over when she heard that Ryu had woken up from L, who burst into the room. All Yue had time to say was, "I have to…" and the sleep won, she collapsed on the bed. L smiled and quietly shut the door. She walked out to Ryu room and said, "Your sister gives her best wishes but she's asleep now." Ryu couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face. She looked slightly annoyed being the messenger of a sleeping girl's message. Ryu stood up and stretched. His muscles hurt. He must've been asleep for quite awhile. He wandered around the ship to loosen his aching bones and soon found himself in front of another door. This one was blood red. Why where their so many strange doors on this ship? He stared up at it and read the writing on the door. "To wander freely you must sacrifice a shard of your soul." Ryu thought he knew the riddle but he decided to not risk another concussion. He marked this spot in his mind so he wouldn't forget. He found the black and the white doors again and marked them. He would try the riddles later. He walked into the sleeping chambers and saw Yue flopped on the bed. He saw something moving behind her. He stood up on his toes to see over Yue and almost passed out again. A was unpacking bags on the bed next to Yue's. She looked over at him and smiled. This sent him tumbling onto his bed. He lay there pretending to be asleep but he occasionally glanced over at her. She didn't notice because she was preoccupied with her unpacking. He decided to roll over completely and keep watching her. He couldn't turn around anymore. He stared at her for what seemed to be forever. While he was looking he saw something, a doll. It was something he'd seen before, a plushy of a goat. She stared at it for a moment and placed it on a shelf above her bed. She turned around and looked at Ryu. She blushed when she noticed he was looking at her. She looked away and quickly continued her packing glancing over her shoulder at him. Her face soon became red and she packed even faster.

When she finished she closed the bag and looked at him. Her face was one of shyness and worry, but he was drawn to her. He stood up and moved over to her. Her face became even redder as he did this. He moved closer to her to hold her when he heard a snickering over his shoulder. He glanced over to see Yue chuckling at him. "And who is this, big brother?" she asked with a devilish grin. "My name is A." Yue's evil face suddenly vanished and it was replaced by her thinking face. She pondered for a moment and soon fell over onto her bed again. Ryu waited for this moment and went back to A. He turned around and she began to wobble. She wavered back and fourth until she fell on Ryu. He almost jumped back in shock but stopped himself when he realized that if he did she would hit the ground, he lifted her up and carried her over towards her bed. He heard a gasp and turned his head to see Yue again glaring at him. "What is this?" she said calmly, while cracking her knuckles. "No! No! It's not what you think! She passed out!" Yue looked at A and was convinced. Soon she woke up and looked around. She was rested on her bed with both Yue and Ryu over looking her. Yue started shouting about how she'd been woken up for nothing. Ryu was filled with happiness when A looked at him. Yue then stood up stretched and said, "I think I'll leave you two alone for now." She started to walk out when Ryu stopped her. He handed he a slip of paper with the riddle of the red door on it. He told her to solve it if she could. She nodded and walked out of the room, glancing back and winking as she closed the door. Ryu looked back to A who was looking at him fiercely. He moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. He felt tears land on his shoulder. He tried to move away from her but she kept him close, crying. He allowed himself to move towards her again but instead of holding her he kissed her gently on the cheek. She moved away from him and smiled whipping the tears from her eyes. Ryu slowly backed away and said, "A…I love you." She gasped and held him again, they where so deep in their embrace, they didn't see L and Yue looking in from the door, both snickering.


	15. Chapter 14: Conquest

**Chapter 14: Conquest**

Ryu woke up and looked across the room at the sleeping A. She looked so fragile and weak. He stood up and started to leave the room when he heard a voice.

"Have a good night." Ryu slowly turned his head to see Yue sitting up in her bed smiling happily. Ryu wasn't sure if he should be happy or afraid by the look in her eyes. He stuttered with his answer which was supposed to be yes. She said, "I saw everything. You don't have too keep it a secret." Ryu was taken aback by this fact. He was furious that _she_ of all people would spy on him at the most crucial of times. Yue stood up and started for the door. She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Oh and Ryu, I figured out the first riddle, 'To wander freely you must sacrifice a shard of your soul.' The answer is simple. It's from the book of Guildia. Your soul is your blood, tears and sweat. You must sacrifice one of these three things to move freely, whatever that means. She turned around and walked out the door. Ryu was shocked that his sister could've found out one of the riddles so quickly. He turned around to see A just waking up, yawning wide; she looked up at him and smiled. As Ryu stood up to leave the room A shouted to for him to stay. He apologized and left the room. He was going to test Yue's answer to the riddle. He retraced his steps so that he soon wound up in front of the red door. He opened the door and was soon hovering like before. He grabbed the knife from his belt and sliced his arm open. Blood fell to the ground and a loud resonating sound moved through the air. He was slowly lowered to the ground. He walked on and found himself in front of slab. It depicted a large squid-like monster flowing through the clouds. He began to walk back when he was lifted off the ground again. He squeezed the wound and blood fell to the ground. He waited several minutes until he was moved out the door. He was gently placed down and the doors shut. He walked hangar to fix up the Vanship. He didn't want to leave anymore but he wanted to fix the ship. He looked around and realized there wasn't a mechanic team. Not one man or woman with the mechanic insignia, just pilots, navigators and the occasional soldier. He began work on the ship and quickly noticed it was on the brink of completion. He would be able to leave even if he didn't want to. The only piece missing is the accelerator and it will be complete. Night fell upon him quickly and he went to bed. As he walked into the room the first and only person he saw was Yue. She was smiling at the plushy on the shelf. When she noticed Ryu she turned and tried to hide her smile of what appeared to be happiness, by chuckling under her breath.

"I found something **_very_** important about A." Yue held up the picture of the children and the Vanship. She placed her finger on the small girl riding in the navigator seat. The plushy she was holding was easily compared to the one on the shelf and was proved to be identical. Worried, Ryu asked, "What exactly does this mean?"

"It means that A most likely knew our parents." Yue said smiling widely. Ryu jumped onto his bed and fell asleep without contemplating how A could've known them. He was afraid that if he knew this his relationship with her would explode in his face. He drifted to sleep while A flashed through his mind. One question flashed in his mind…What was her **real** name?


	16. Chapter 15: ReBirth

**Chapter 15: Re-Birth**

Nighttime on the Cairo was horrid. It was dark, gloomy, and you always had the strange feeling you were going to be stabbed in your sleep. You still somehow managed to sleep fine. Yue woke up, stood up, yawned, and went onto her usual tour around the ship. She had half the ship in her mind by heart, every hiding place, gear, and rooms. She wandered towards the galley to get some food. She walked in and saw a familiar face, the soldier who helped her several times. His arm was in a cast and blood was stained over his elbow region. He looked at her and smiled; he waved his other arm at her and beckoned for her so sit next to him. She walked over and sat down in the chair next to him.

"So you survived the attack. Rumors where going around that you where killed while trying to save your brother." He said that and took a sip from his canteen. He gripped his arm in pain and gritted his teeth.

"You should probably…get that looked at." Yue said worriedly. "Why don't you let me check it out? I'm a pretty good nurse." She said smiling wide. The man looked slightly worried when she moved in. after about an hour she had done with his wounds. The man smiled and moved his arm without to much pain.

"Amazing, your like some kind of' healing goddess." He smiled and laughed. "My name is Jing. Yours is Yue right?" Yue looked at him suspiciously. "Hey stop looking at me like that… everyone on this ship knows yours and your brother's names." Yue smiled and looked up at him. He was blushing and he was staring at her quite intensely. Then she swooped water menu from his hands and looked down at it.

"Hey! I haven't ordered yet!" he shouted as he swung and misses in one failed attempt after another to retrieve the lost menu. "Oh stop being such a baby." Yue said looking up from the menu. "Ah! Waiter!" she shouted. "I'll have the grade D water please." She smiled and began to pass Jing the menu when he said, "no, no. we cant have such a goddess be drinking grade D. waiter, cancel the grade D and replace it with a _grade A_." he smiled, adding emphasis on the last few words. "Grade A! I don't have _that_ much Claudia!" Yue shouted. "Ah but I do young goddess." Jing said, pulling a small pouch out from his pocket. "Now… how much will it be?" he asked, a slightly worried expression on his face. "100 Claudia sir." The waiter said. Then Jing reached into his pouch and pulled out a handful of coins and began counting them off. He passed all the coins he had taken out of his pouch to the waiter and slid the water to her.

"I've had enough for one day, see you later goddess." He said as he stood up and walked away. Yue looked down to see he'd left his Claudia pouch. She picked it up and noticed something very strange… it was completely empty. Yue ran after him to return his pouch to him and to repay him. With her speeds she was soon upon him. He turned towards her and frowned slightly when he saw the pouch. She ran up and grabbed his hand. He looked down and soon realized he would never escape her.

"Did you spend all your Claudia on me? Why? Tell me why? Do you feel sorry for me or something? Sorry for being stuck on this retched ship?" she said more menacingly than she had ever sounded. He shrugged, exhaled and spurted out, "No you dolt! It's because I… I… I love you!" he blinked a few times before realizing the volume of his voice. She blushed a color of blood red upon hearing this. He moved in towards her and embraced her. "Yue…I love you so much. I've loved u since the moment I saw you." Then he moved back a little and gave her the tenderest kiss she had ever felt. In fact the only kiss she'd ever felt. She returned his kiss with determination of her own. The kiss seemed to last forever but unfortunately for them, they still needed to breath. They broke the kiss and Jing smiled, embraced her again and walked off. Yue looked down to her hand and noticed… she hadn't given him his pouch.


	17. Chapter 16: Zugzwang

**Chapter 16: Zugzwang**

As Yue made her way back to her room she thought about no one but Jing, his kindness and his kiss. She carried the pouch with her everywhere and looked at it occasionally. She saw him from time to time but he was so involved in his work that he couldn't talk to her even though he tried. No matter what she did she couldn't stop thinking about him. As night fell she could only lie awake and hope too meet him again. She looked across the room at Ryu and then to A. Do those two feel like this also? She fell back onto her pillow and was engulfed by its softness. She continued to think about him as she drifted into another dream.

She was running. She saw a large gate in front of her. She looked down and saw a dark ring under her feet, swirling up everything around her. She kept moving towards the door, against her wishes. She was about to crash into it when she threw up her hands to shield herself… her eyes snapped open to Ryu at her bedside.

"You alright Yue, you where saying strange things. It was guildish." Ryu said worriedly.

"That's impossible. I don't know any guildish." Yue said rubbing her eyes. "I know that's the strange part…"

Ryu had woken up to his sister screaming in guildish or the guild's common language. She was saying, "Don't kill me. Don't, please don't. NOO!" then she snapped awake. He was waiting at her bedside looking down at her sweat covered face distorted and scared. When she woke up he was slightly relieved she was over whatever was troubling her. After they talked for a little bit, Yue headed off to look around the ship. She seemed anxious for some reason. Ryu soon decided to head off on his own in search or the next riddle. He wandered until he was facing a big blue door. He scrolled through the next riddle. "To walk into this chaotic world you must bring the blood of another with you." As Ryu read this he began to wonder, is this riddle telling me…to kill someone? That can be right. But at the same time he believed that to be the answer. He decided to ask Yue about it before he did anything stupid. He walked back to the room to try to find her but no one was there. He decided to wander the ship in search of her. Soon he came upon the galley and peered in. at first he didn't see her but before long he spotted her. She was sitting in the far corner of the room. Ryu could just barely see her amidst the crowd of people. He soon noticed something was strange about her movements. She seemed to be acting as if someone was with her. She was smiling and laughing. This was a side of her he hadn't seen in years. As the people moved he recognized the man as a commander. He could tell be the stripped uniform and badges. It seemed strange that Yue would be talking to such a man. She never had any interest in military ranks and stature. She talked with him so freely and commonly, as though she had known him forever. He smiled and laughed like a long lost lover who had just found his way home. Ryu just stared at the sight of his sister so happy, turned and walked away. The riddle can wait until later. As he walked back to his room he glanced out the window at the sky below them. He wondered where they were going. He looked careful at the clouds floating by. He spotted a small dot among the sea of white. He pressed his face against the glass to see the dot more clearly. The dot slowly grew with the second. As he looked closer he noticed patterns on the figure. It was a strange color of a black with slightly grey texture. Suddenly the whole figure turned red and continued to grow. Then it began to take form. It began to look like a pair of large teeth. Upon seeing this Ryu fled from the window and down the hall. As he ran down the hall he began to hear a low growling noise. He began to run faster. The growling sounded louder and turned into a hum. He remembered that noise. He heard it in the cave. He covered his ears as to block out the annoying humming and ran as fast as he could. He suddenly was thrown down by an impact right next to him. As he looked over he noticed that the hull of the ship had been ripped away by whatever it was he was running from. All he could do was staring in horror as the remainder of the wall was torn out. Thankfully the ship was moving slowly enough to keep him from flying over the edge of the ship. He was blown around slightly by the winds but nothing too serious. He decided to glance over the edge of the ship. What he saw could only be described as a large red demon face. He was taken aback when the eyes on the face fixated upon him. He darted down the hall panting as he ran. If he kept at this pace he would run out of breath before he got to safety. Just then a large red tentacle like thing landed on the ground in front of him. He began to turn around but on landed behind him and almost simultaneously they flew up and grabbed him. They pulled him from the ship and towards the eyes of the beast. He heard a noise in his head.

"Are you happy? Do you wish to be happier? Do you wish to stay with the one you love?" all these questions and more began bombarding his subconscious. He screamed out to his sister and A, even to L. but no one answered. His vision began to go dark as the ship began to shrink from his view. He was going to the surface.

Yue sat peacefully at the dinner table with Jing. She flirted with him and him with her. She didn't notice Ryu watching from the crowd. She didn't know how happy he was for her for finding a love. She didn't notice him walking away. She didn't realize what would happen next. A loud explosion punctured the ears of the people in the mess hall. Yue and Jing were the first to react. Jing swept up all the food he possible could while Yue searched for the source of the sound. She continued to hear the sound of ripping metal and steel. She bolted down the hall way and the noises grew louder. Then they stopped and where followed by two loud crashes. Yue stared in fear as she saw her brother being carried off by the beast before her. She could only stare as she saw him begin to scream in agony and was slowly pulled down into the clouds.


	18. Chapter 17: Cornered

**Chapter 17: Cornered**

Ryu awoke suddenly. He was laying in the sand; he wasn't sure where he was. He sat up and looked around him. He was completely surrounded by sand. He looked up and was shocked to see the clouds. He must be on the planet then. He realized that the sun was at a high altitude and very warm. He stripped his flying gear and wore just his common clothes. He pulled out the emergency water from his pouch and placed it in the sand. He then ripped the sleeves and leggings of his shirt and his pant so they where shortened greatly. He wrapped the ripped portion of is sleeve around his arm and tied the water to it. He would have a long walk ahead of him. He would need to conserve his water. There where towns about every fifteen miles and small search parties would search the land for two miles to find any people like him, lost, hungry and thirsty. He began walking dead east.

A's cries could be heard throughout the ship. Her tears flowed from her face and made a small puddle on the ground. She held Ryu's secondary flying jacket close to her while she cried, Yue and Jing where there to comfort her. Yue didn't cry in front of them. She hid in one of her hiding places to cry. Her brother had been carried off in front of her face and she did nothing. What kind of fool was she? As she thought these words to herself she smashed her fist up against the wall with such force that it echoed throughout the metal and left her hand bleeding. L assured them they would find him but the look in her eyes said otherwise. What was it that took him? It looked like a kraken of old days, except it lived in the sky instead of water. She pulled out the piece of paper with the new riddle Ryu had given her. What was the purpose of these things? What did he need them for? She read the riddle and replayed it her mind. "To walk into this chaotic world you must bring the blood of another with you." She made her way to the small library on the ship. It only had about two shelves of books but they did good jobs at solving the riddles. She found her answer in the book of Grey. To wander freely you must bring another person with you. It never said their blood couldn't be within their body. She felt tears stream down her face as she solved the riddle. She wished Ryu was here so she could tell him about her new discovery. She soon began wandering the ship and found herself in front of a large red door. Dried blood stained the ground in front of the door. When Yue decided to investigate she found more blood. She heard dripping noises as her tears fell into the blood and mixed with it. She continued down the hall and soon came upon a slab with the image of the kraken creature that kidnapped her brother. She noticed that blood seemed to have been worn into the slab itself to give it an eerie look. With proper examination she found writing along the left half of the stone. It spoke of a dark figure like a monster. It spoke of how this monster created the worlds and space. It spoke of its past and future. Then came the part that shocked Yue the most, the beast takes the shape of the monster shown on this slab. It is to be avoided at all costs. As she read this her fear began to rise. Her brother had been taken by that monster. She felt a drop of her sweat stream down her face as she read on. The beast apparently ate most of its prey upon capture. The sweat drop hit the ground with a splash that echoed throughout the long hall. She suddenly noticed she was rising above the ground. She was thrown back out the door and into a wall. She regained her sense of balance and started back to her room crying all the way.

Jing wandered through the halls in search of Yue. She left so suddenly he was worried about her. He wandered down the hall, when he heard a slashing sound. He looked down and saw blood sitting in a small puddle. He looked up slowly to see a trail of it flowing down the hall in a small trail. He followed it and soon began to hear crying. He soon found himself drawn to the noises. He wandered around a corner and saw Yue lying on the ground crying and holding her left arm. He dashed over to her and lifted her up, as he did this blood poured from a tear in her arm. He lifted her sleeve and immediately noticed the arm had been broken, and the skin badly torn. Her face was covered in sweat and tears. It ripped him apart inside to see her like this. He ripped part of his sleeve off. Hearing the noise Yue looked up at him but said nothing. He wrapped the slice in the bandage and said, "Would you look at this. The healing goddess being healed by me." He smiled his usual smile but she didn't look up at him. He picked her up and began carrying her to her to room. He noticed she didn't look up at him. He wondered what he could've done. When he left he shut the door slightly but sat behind it and listened carefully. After about five minutes of silence he started to hear more crying. He stood up and walked down the hall. She needed time to herself. He passed the young girl A on the way back. She had tears in her eyes. Jing placed his hand on her shoulder, nodded and walked on.


	19. Chapter 18: Defeat

**Chapter 18: Defeat**

"So you're telling me the honest truth?" Jing asked with an excited face. "There is a small chance so yes I am. We picked up three organisms on our scanners, and for all we know one might be him." L said reassuringly. "The ships hull is the only problem. It was horrible damaged in the attack." She shuffled through papers and bottled some for transport. "So does this mean I should go tell Yue and A the good news?" Jing asked, hoping to get the chance to make Yue happy again. L nodded and went back to her work. Jing let out a triumphant cry as he walked back to Yue's room. He knocked o the door and let himself in. he walked in and saw both Yue and A curled up on their beds. He turned on the light and walked into the center of the room.

"I've got some good news you two. It's about Ryu." Both the girls flew up at the sound of his name. "He may have been found…alive." Both Yue and A gasp simultaneously while looking over at one another. The glam Jing saw in their eyes made him smile triumphantly. "Ill goes get the Vanship." Yue shouted, tears of joy flowing from her eyes. "No Yue that wont be necessary. L has prepared a special transport style Vanship for our personal use. Ill takes you to it and we may depart immediately." The three ran to the hangar and found the ship with little effort. It was a truly massive ship. It was a heavy cargo ship, which lack the speed of their look a-like counterparts, the Vanships. Yue allowed A to get in and got a glance at the inside. Then the major question hit her. Who would pilot the ship? Yue slowly turned back to Jing to answer this question and noticed him in full flying gear with two stars on either side of the outfit. He climbed up into the pilot seat and started the engine. Yue climbed into the navigator seat without even wearing the flying gear. They lifted off and flew into the distance.

"The most likely he is 10 miles west and 30 miles south." Jing flew in this direction and they soon began to touch down. Jing focused on landing, but he couldn't help but hear Yue's gasp. He saw her jump off the ship out of the corner or his eye. He glanced down to see her land on the sand. She ran off into the waters of an oasis and lifted something out of the water. He head rampant cries of worry and happiness. He guessed it was him. Boy, was he in for a scolding from her. Then he heard compete silence. He began to make out words.

"Oh you had me scared out of my mind. I was so…" Jing climbed out of the pilot seat and looked over to see Yue holding Ryu just above the water.

"Ryu… what's wrong? RYU! Ryu snap out of it!" she began shaking him fiercely. Jing ran over and examined him. He looked like death. He was very skinny and his eyes had completely glazed over. He wasn't moving.

"Yue get him back to the ship and get him some fresh water. Tell A to contact the main ship and tell them that we recovered him. Tell them he in critical status…" Yue carried Ryu back into the ship and gave him fresh water as she was ordered. She then gave A her instructions and climbed back into the navigator's seat. Her face looked very grim when Jing looked in the mirror. It was like she had just seen a ghost. They flew back to the Cairo and handed Ryu over to L. A and Yue followed her as she took Ryu to the sick bay and placed him in a large bed. L and Yue both pulled up chairs and stared at Ryu. He didn't look human. It was like his human essence was torn from his body while he wandered the desert. He turned his head slightly, his first movement sense he was found. He looked out the window and stopped. A and Yue left a few hours later with the knowledge that he will be safe and healthy in a few days. Yue noted that A seemed to stumble and she tried to ask her if she was okay but they had reached their room before she had a chance.

She fell on the bed and for the first time in four days, she had a good dream. She was souring above the clouds without a Vanship. She was just flying like a bird. She touched down outside hers and Ryu's old house and walked inside. She saw Ryu cooking dinner, A sitting at the table, and Jing reading his horoscope in the paper. She smiled and sat down. The dream went on like any normal day in her previous home, but now she must come to admit, that the Cairo was becoming like a home to her. She woke up and looked around the room. Nothing had changed except that the shades on the window were now shut and the room was filled with darkness. Yue's eyes adjusted quickly to see a figure sleeping in her brother's bed. At first she thought maybe A had slept there for comfort but then her glare met with A's bed and soon noticed that A was still sleeping there. She picked up the small suitcase she had brought with her from the base of her bed and slowly crossed the room. She raised the case high and slammed it down. A woke up immediately and shot up.

"What's going?" A shouted as she sprung up from her slumber.

"Oh sorry A did I wake u. just dealing with a…" suddenly Yue's face was one of a mixture of worry and anger.

"JING! Why are you sleeping in my brother's bed?" Yue screamed but she had knocked him unconscious with the box. She shook him for several more minutes before noticing this fact for herself. She brought him to the infirmary and threw him on a bed. The bloody lump on his head was quite large. Yue worried that she may've done brain damage. The doctor told her that he had a minor concussion and would be back on his feet in no time. Yue walked out of the room grumbling to herself. She walked for what seemed to be hours until she reached her room. She flopped onto her bed and tried to sleep again. She couldn't manage to sleep but she did manage to calm herself from the previous intervention. She sat up and looked around the room. She saw A, still in bed and the messed up and slightly bloody bed of Ryu's. She tried to sleep but something was keeping her awake.

When she started to drift to sleep she was awoken by the morning bell. She stood up and left knowing that now she wouldn't be able to fall asleep at all. She wandered the corridors of the ship in search of a nameless figure. She didn't know why she was walking. It was like her feet where moving without her. As a result of her sleepiness she began to hear things and her mind started playing tricks on her. She froze when she saw her brother wandering the halls. She thought she was dreaming when he walked past her, eyes still glazed and empty. She turned around and saw him round a corner. She ran after him and noticed his movements were that of a doll. He didn't seem to have a specific destination of outcome. He was just wandering. She hid from him as best she could and managed to avoid detection. He shouldn't be out of bed, she thought. He shouldn't be able to walk right now. She followed him for what seemed to be hours. She noted a strange aura in the air, almost like a spirit was following her everywhere. She heard voices talking to her occasionally. Most said random things but she made out one line that caught her attention.

"Why do you follow this lifeless puppet?" Yue whipped her head around after hearing this. When she looked back her brother had disappeared. She walked back to her room, telling herself that it was probably a strange dream, but at the same time knowing that she was probably only fooling herself.


	20. Chapter 19 The Mind of Blackest Pitch

**Chapter** **19: The Mind of Blackest Pitch**

That night she dreamt about her brother. But then he turned to her and his eyes where glowing red. She backed away screaming about how it couldn't be true. She screamed for him to stay away and to get back, but he kept walking towards her. She looked around to try to find something useful but she was surrounded by nothingness. She began to fall down into it but managed to pull herself up. She ran down the hall way of the ship and saw it collapsing behind her, her brother floating through the wreckage. She looked forward in to see that she had no more space to run and fell from the ship. Her brother stopped chasing her and floated away. While she was falling she heard voices whispering to her. Asking her questions she didn't know how to answer. She closed her eyes and tried to make herself wake up. She opened them again and was being stared down by the wind kraken. It had both her arms and legs within its grasp and it continued to ask questions. She bit herself on the arm to wake herself up. Surprisingly, when she opened her eyes a second time she was sitting in her bed, a small trail of blood seeping down onto the floor. She hated the taste of blood which now churned in her mouth. She wasn't sure how the bleeding had started. She had bitten her inner lip, it seemed.

Yue stood up and wandered to the bathroom. She needed to get that horrid taste from her mouth. She wandered in and looked in the mirror. She had grown quite a bit within the last few months upon this ship. She noticed she was becoming much more mature looking. She bent over and washed her mouth out finally ridding herself of the awful taste. She looked at her bleeding arm. She had bitten deep and hard. She cleaned the wound, wrapped it with the safety bandage she had in her pouch and when back into the room. She pulled out a journal and began writing down her dream. She decided it would be best to record things like this for future reference. She finished writing down the horrible dream she decided, rather than going back to sleep she would go to the galley and get an early breakfast. The chef always woke up very early. She walked down and to her surprise she saw that she want the only one there. She could make out Ryu and Jing. She looked around and saw A sitting in the corner staring at Ryu with a worried face. Yue walked over to her and sat down. A didn't look in her direction. He eyes never left Ryu. She glanced over when Yue placed her hand on her shoulder but she looked back after a second. The look in her eyes told Yue that she knew something. Something she wouldn't talk about. A's eyes began to water and she ran off to her room. Yue was about to follow but she soon realized that she would want her privacy. Yue glanced in the direction A had run off to. She couldn't contain herself and she broke into a full run after her. With her speeds she should have no trouble catching up to her. Within minutes she had caught A, crying her eyes out in front of the door Ryu had gone through. Yue hid upon hearing A speak.

"If only… you weren't so foolish… if only you…" she burst into tears and screamed Ryu name so loud that the entire ship heard it. Yue jumped around the corner to see her still crying. She saw a figure appear in the other side of the corridor and hid again. It was her brother. He walked over to A and placed his hand on her shoulder. Yue sighed upon seeing this. At least her brother still had love in him. As she began to turn around she heard a noise, a fist hitting flesh. Yue whipped around and to her surprise Ryu stood over A, whose mouth was gushing with blood. Yue bolted over and smashed her brother in the face. He flew up against the wall and collapsed. Yue lifted A, who was now unconscious and looked over to Ryu… no it couldn't be him. He loved A too much to hurt her. She stared in horror as he stood up and punched the wall. Upon impact the wall began to crumble. Chunks of metal hit the ground as Yue stared at her brother's now evil eyes. This couldn't be her brother at all…he was too fierce… too… evil…


	21. Chapter 20 Fear

**Chapter 20: Fear**

Yue ran from her brother…no… from the thing that looked like her brother. It followed close on her heels despite her speed. She carried A in her arms which slowed her slightly. She tried to remember the exact location of where she was, glancing at the surroundings about her and noticed a small cut she had placed within the wall to mark the location. She rounded a corner and found herself at a dead end. She looked under a pipe which was close to the ground and noticed it lead to another hall. Kneeled down and could just fit under the small pipe. I guess being small has its advantages, she thought with a smile. She continued her frantic running when she heard the sound of ripping metal. She ran into the hangar and concealed herself inside a Vanship. As Ryu wandered the hangar, Yue pondered about him motives. Why would he attack A like that? He loves her too much. She looked down at her hand and sighed silently. She looked over the side of the ship and saw a clear path to a newer area. She jumped down and started down it and soon found herself in the main hall. She ran down it and saw a familiar face. It was Jing. She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him along on the run. She heard frantic screams from him, some about the strange welcome and some about how she was being chased by Ryu. Yue dragged them into a side room and slammed the door. She locked it quickly and pilled various items in front of it. After this she collapsed and sighed lightly, staring at the ground. A was still unconscious and Jing soon realized that Yue was crying softly. He looked to the door and then back to her.

"Yue, what is going on? What is wrong with Ryu?" Yue couldn't stop. She just kept crying. She blurted out the words puppet and lifeless and that was all Jing needed to hear. He pushed them away from the door and waited. Before long a loud pounding began outside the door. Jing prepared himself for the worst. He looked down to Yue and shouted, "Yue, don't look!" upon hearing this, Yue quickly shut her eyes but this didn't stop A from waking just in time to see the door be blown down and Jing pull a musket off his back and shoot Ryu in the heart. His blood sprayed across the room, some hitting Yue and A but most hitting Jing's front half. He turned around to see A, with tears and blood flowing down her face. He stared at her blankly and then walked from the room. A grim day this was. A could be heard screaming throughout the ship.

Yue opened her eyes upon hearing A's scream. She felt the blood on her face and immediately knew what had happened even without seeing the corpse. Tears flowed down her cheek as she sat in the corner. She stood up and tried to walk out without seeing him but it was futile. His body lay right in the doorway, his face one of anger, hatred and pain with a bullet hole going through his heart. She placed her hand upon his face and noticed something strange but she couldn't place her finger on it. She heard footsteps from down the hall and straitened herself quickly. No one would see her like this. She ran down the hall quickly without stopping. She passed L and C, both running down the hall at full speed, weapons in hand. She heard L screaming and decided to go back. Yue ran into the blood soaked room to see L holding Ryu's corpse up to her body, crying her eyes out. C was standing in the corner, hunched over with his hand over his mouth, as though he would vomit. L looked over to Yue and tried to stop the tears but they refused to cease. They where like the tears of the goddess falling to earth. Yue walked from the room and cried alone once again, her tears silently falling to the floor. She couldn't stop the tears any longer. She cried for what seemed to be hours and fell asleep in her own tears and sorrow. She awoke and remembered the previous night. She cried for hours until she had no more tears to shed. She sat on the floor and basked in pain and sorrow.


	22. Chapter 21 Searching

**Chapter 21: Searching**

Ryu's death hit the whole ship hard, but A took it the hardest. Jing couldn't blame her. She watched him shoot him. That would affect anyone. He stared at his hands in disgust. I killed him with these hands. I will never kill another soul again. He thought as he walked out from his sleeping chambers. He started down the hall and looked down. Unfortunately for him, the very room in which he had killed Ryu was right down the hall from his. He stared at the spot on the ground where he shot him. Blood still stained to metal where he had died. Upon seeing this Jing suddenly became nauseous. He ran from the room to keep himself from vomiting and headed to the galley. He walked through the two steel doors to see A and Yue sitting at a table. Yue eating her food normally while A stared in the seat that Ryu usually sat in. when she spotted Jing she stood up and left the table, leaving Yue by herself. Jing walked over next to Yue and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Yue. If I could've saved him and us I would've but it wasn't possible." Yue looked down at her food in an evasive method to avoid his gaze. Did she to hate him for what he did? He removed his hand and turned to walk away, but A walked back into the galley with a small box in her hands. She walked over and handed it to Jing.

"Ryu asked me to give this to you about a month ago. It got lost in the room but I managed to uncover it this morning." Jing slowly opened the box and saw several items and a note. He picked up the note and read it in his mind.

"Jing, see if you can figure out the puzzles me and Yue have been facing. If you find out anything tell me and I will add it to my mental notes." As Jing read this note he slowly pulled out the picture that lay in the box. The second his eyes lay upon the picture he was thrown into shock. The picture slid from his hand and landed onto the ground, A stared at him strangely while Yue was still busy with her eating. Jing Rushed over to Yue and lifted her up. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered into her ear," Yue, I found out one of your family riddles. Do you want to know the answer?" Yue shot a look of curiosity at him while she nodded fiercely. He showed her the picture of their parents and said, "I know these people, Yue. As a matter a fact I saw them yesterday." Yue's face lit up and she squealed a strange noise.

"Yue these people are two people you know well. People who have helped you and have kindled you under their arms." Yue lost patience and screamed at him to get on with it. "Well these people are…" just then a loud noise broke the silence of the question answering. The comm. system flipped on and L's voice rang over it, "Will Yue, A and Jing please report to the infirmary stat." The comm. clicked off and Yue looked back at Jing with a childish face. He smiled down to her and said, "Ill tell you later. For now let's go see what's happening." Jing started down the hall followed closely by A and Yue. They swerved into the infirmary to see an operating table surrounded by curtains. L came walking through the curtains and looked at the three of them with menacing looking eyes.

"You three," she said pointing to the three children. "Follow me." She beckoned for them to follow under the curtains. When they walked through they saw Ryu's body lying on the table. His skin still pierced with the bullet mark. Jing walked over and placed his hand on the mark. He had shot Ryu clean in the heart. He looked down and noticed something strange about the wound. He pointed at it, looked at L and went to say something but L interrupted him with, "Yes I know. That is why I called you all here. Yue, we think your brother may still be alive." Yue's eyes darkened for a moment and Jing thought she was going to pass out from happiness…but A beat her to it. A collapsed to the ground and passed out from what Jing thought either to be her weak body or pure happiness.

"How can this be?" Yue asked, clenching her hands into fists. "How can brother be alive, he was shot in the heart!" she threw her head up so she could see L's eyes. To her surprise she was almost eye height with her. Tears filled up her eyes upon remembering the incident. She started to break down but suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Jing. He led her over to the body and pointed to a small mark. Yue noticed a red bit of skin. She pulled away the outer skin to reveal more red skin. This wasn't Ryu at all… it's an undersized Grey disguised as Ryu. She was given the task of writing down all known facts on the beast. In return, she would be given the option of naming it. She dubbed the creature the Doppelgangers and closed the book. She started back to her room and a thought hit her. She bolted back into the infirmary and up to L.

"Where is the real Ryu?" Yue asked worried out of her mind.

"We don't know… but there have been rumors and sightings so were almost positive he's alive" L said with a huge smile. Yue slept wonderfully that night. Her dreams were warm and welcoming.


End file.
